- Melanerpes striatus
Identification
20–24 cm (7¾-9½ in)
- Yellow and black striped back
- Olive-grey rump
- Black tail with bright red base
Male
- Red forecrown to upper hindneck
Female
- Red stripe from the nape to the neck
Distribution
Endemic and widespread to Hispaniola and Beata Island.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Sea level to mountain forests. Wooded gardens, open woodland with palm trees, wooded swamps and mangroves; coastal scrub. Occurs at heights up to around 2000 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists of a variety of insects, especially beetles, butterflies, moths, ants, also spiders and scorpions. Lizards are taken occasionally too.
Breeding
This species has a tendency to nest colonially with maybe up to 20 nests in 1-3 trees.
The nest hole is excavated by both adults, though the male takes the lead. The clutch contains 4-6 eggs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Raffaele et al. 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0713649054
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved February 2019)
- Winkler, H. and D. A. Christie (2020). Hispaniolan Woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.hiswoo1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Hispaniolan Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Hispaniolan_Woodpecker
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
